EDHEC Global MBA Welcomes Its Class of 2027 to Nice

This year’s cohort brings together 49 participants representing 17 nationalities, with 92% of students coming from outside France. The class is 53% women, with an average age of 31 and seven years of professional experience across sectors including technology, aerospace, higher education, consulting, marketing, analytics and engineering.

An international cohort with ambitious goals

The Class of 2027 reflects the international nature of the Global MBA, with 29% of participants from Europe, the Middle East and Africa, 33% from the Americas and 39% from Asia Pacific. The cohort also brings together varied academic backgrounds, with 43% of participants coming from STEM disciplines, 37% from business or economics and 20% from the humanities.

Programme Director Sandra Richez set the tone for the year ahead. “This is always a special day for us at EDHEC. Each new Global MBA cohort brings together a remarkable range of nationalities, professional backgrounds and personal ambitions, and this year’s class is no exception. What stands out is the openness of the group, their international outlook and their shared desire to use this year to make a clear step forward. The next ten months will be intensive and demanding, but they will also offer the space, support and perspective to grow as leaders, build lasting connections and prepare for the next stage of their careers.”

Over the coming months, participants will combine core strategic courses with electives, a specialisation track, international learning expeditions and a tailored MBA project. The programme also includes Lead360, EDHEC’s personal and career development journey, designed to support participants as they clarify their goals, strengthen their leadership approach and prepare for their post-MBA transition. Sustainability, innovation, AI and emerging technologies are also integrated throughout the learning experience, reflecting the business issues shaping today’s leadership landscape.

Building strategic leadership in international higher education

For Ruth Lied, an American professional who has spent the last eight years working in higher education in France, the Global MBA offers a way to move towards more senior responsibilities in the European academic sector. Having also lived for more than 15 years in North Macedonia and speaking English, French, Macedonian and Turkish, she brings a deeply international profile to the cohort.

“After five years as an International Relations Manager at a French grande école engineering university, I wanted to develop further project and human management capabilities in order to access more senior and strategic roles,” she explains. “I chose the EDHEC Global MBA because of its personalised professional development coaching, strong international alumni network, hands-on learning opportunities and emphasis on interculturality, diversity and sustainability.”
 

Exploring the business implications of AI governance

For Tirth Gandhi, from Mumbai, India, the Global MBA represents a chance to build on four years of consulting experience at KPMG India, where he worked in Digital Trust Advisory across technology, AI, digital transformation and regulatory matters.

“One area that became particularly interesting to me was the way AI was moving from experimentation into everyday business use, while the regulations and governance around it were still developing,” he says. “Through my work, I became increasingly interested in AI regulation, governance and compliance, especially in understanding how organisations can turn new regulations and standards into frameworks that work in practice.”

He sees the Global MBA as a way to connect this expertise with broader business and leadership perspectives. “I wanted to learn outside of the consulting environment and meet people from different industries and countries. The international nature of the EDHEC Global MBA really appealed to me, because I wanted to experience a classroom where everyone brings a different perspective and where I would be challenged to look at familiar problems differently.”

From engineering leadership to sustainable transformation

That same appetite for international exchange drew Paola Valdez Quintero, a mechanical engineer from Mexicali, Mexico, whose career has combined aerospace engineering, global team leadership, education and mentorship.

“Professionally, I have led global engineering teams in the aerospace industry, collaborating with colleagues across continents to make sure operations run efficiently,” she says. “I also have a deep love for education and mentorship. Whether teaching engineering workshops, teaching in middle school or managing projects at a global company, advocating for diversity and inclusion has always been part of my personal commitment.”

For Paola, the Global MBA marks a transition from technical leadership to wider strategic impact. “I am pursuing the Global MBA to translate my leadership skills into global strategic impact. My ambition is to evolve from a technical engineer into a leader who drives sustainable business transformation, helping organisations operate in a way that is genuinely net positive for the world.”

She says EDHEC’s focus on sustainable business was central to her decision. “Choosing EDHEC was a decision driven by shared values. The school’s Generations 2050 strategic plan resonated deeply with me, and its commitment to advancing net-positive business aligned with my own drive towards a more sustainable world.”

Returning to EDHEC with a broader leadership ambition

For Diego Rocha, also from Mexico, the return to EDHEC carries both professional and personal significance. After beginning his career with an MSc in Marketing Management at EDHEC, he went on to build experience across Nielsen, Signify and TikTok, working at the intersection of marketing, analytics, strategy and technology.

“Throughout my career, I have worked across industries, markets and multicultural teams, helping organisations turn data, consumer understanding and measurement into better business decisions,” he says. “These experiences gave me a strong functional foundation, but they also made something increasingly clear: the next stage of my career is about becoming capable of leading beyond my area of expertise.”

Diego describes the MBA as a space to step back, reflect and prepare for broader leadership responsibilities. “I had been thinking about an MBA for several years, but I kept waiting for the perfect moment. Eventually, I realised that the perfect moment rarely exists; sometimes you have to create it. Returning to EDHEC several years later feels like coming back to a familiar place at a very different stage of my life and career.”

The beginning of a demanding yet rewarding year  

Across the cohort, these individual stories reflect the broader spirit of the Global MBA: experienced professionals choosing to pause, challenge themselves and expand the way they think about leadership, business and impact.

The first days in Nice mark the beginning of a demanding and rewarding year. With diverse backgrounds, ambitious goals and a highly international learning environment, the Class of 2027 is ready to shape the next stage of its journey together.